This is usually the case, what we think people are thinking about us is our own creation that has little to do with reality.

Drive through paterson, NJ at 2am. You will get pulled over because you are white. I have, and still do from time to time as I cut through to get home. The cops, think I'm there to buy drugs, because I'm white.

go to any place that has a high crime/drug problem and you'll get pulled over for being white. When I lived in Newark, I had to purposefully get to know the cops to stop getting harrassed for being in my own neighborhood because I was white.

I remember that story. It wasn't about race it was about loss. products that were stolen were locked up, the fact it was black hair products is irrellevant.

again, it's about market demand, not racism.

When I used to get into fights as a young kid, often, I thought it was because I was white.

Same with me, cept I was one of 3 white kids in my class of over 50 kids.

ok, enough of this, go back to the first sentence and my response.

perhaps they were simply the most qualified. Given that white people make up far more of the population than other minorities wouldn't it be likely that in many cases more white people would be on a schoolboard?

is it an elected position? how many back people ran? there are so many variables other than "white privilege" that you fail to consider.

I had a similar experience when I lived in Michigan. My friend and I were returning from a concert in Detroit and took the wrong exit on the freeway. We pulled off to turn around in terrifying part of Detroit. It was dark so we didn't know. We were also in a convertible. I was pulled over and asked what I was doing there. I told the cop we were lost and he escorted us to the freeway. I thought the cops were protecting us and my friend said no way, he thought we were trying to make a drug buy.

I think, regardless of your race, if you are in a multi-culture environment it is not noticeable but if you are in a heavily segregated area, you stick out like a sore thumb. This is what creates the suspicion.

I don't disagree with you on much, but doing nothing isn't really a solution. It may be what most people prefer, but it's not the answer.

The very first thing one should "do about it" is recognize that it exists. Nothing else can be done before that. When and if we ever come to that point, then we can move forward.

We as a nation are not anywhere near that point. Responsible individuals who recognize the problem can use their privilege to work against the default white supremacy state.

Now I know I just used that awful, terrible word. That word that makes white people shut down and pout, because white feelings take precedence over everything else, but therein lies the original rub-- first the problem must be recognized and acknowledged.

I have about as much hope of that happening on this forum as I do that suddenly Trump will take the presidency seriously as something other than a way to prop up his fading fortune and treat the office with the respect it deserves. IOW slim to none.

I am not sure you read my post the way I intended it. While I am not completely on either side of the issue, I am more on the white people's side with this issue than not.

(And that is irrespective of whether I identify as "white" or "Jewish." My family are Jews from the areas of Lithuania and Poland, but we all look white, so I do not know whether I would be considered "white" and stuck in the possession of "white privilege" for the purpose of this exercise.)

This is usually the case, what we think people are thinking about us is our own creation that has little to do with reality.

Drive through paterson, NJ at 2am. You will get pulled over because you are white. I have, and still do from time to time as I cut through to get home. The cops, think I'm there to buy drugs, because I'm white.

go to any place that has a high crime/drug problem and you'll get pulled over for being white. When I lived in Newark, I had to purposefully get to know the cops to stop getting harrassed for being in my own neighborhood because I was white.

I remember that story. It wasn't about race it was about loss. products that were stolen were locked up, the fact it was black hair products is irrellevant.

again, it's about market demand, not racism.

When I used to get into fights as a young kid, often, I thought it was because I was white.

Same with me, cept I was one of 3 white kids in my class of over 50 kids.

ok, enough of this, go back to the first sentence and my response.

perhaps they were simply the most qualified. Given that white people make up far more of the population than other minorities wouldn't it be likely that in many cases more white people would be on a schoolboard?

is it an elected position? how many back people ran? there are so many variables other than "white privilege" that you fail to consider.

If you are pulled over in a black high crime area and parked, it is probably likely that you are there to buy drugs. Why would you be there? They don’t pull you over if you are driving in a black area
You say you were treated badly because you were white and a black area. You are lucky because you can just leave and then enjoy the privileges of white males.

The point being is that you can't suggest privilege when facts bear out that not to be the case.

if there is white privilege why is there more poor whites?

if there is white privilege why are there no scholarships for white people?

if there is white privilege why is there hiring quotas and AA?

To me, it would seem, I would have had much more opportunity had I been black.

White privilege is a myth, it's a condemnation with no absolution for people who happened to be born white. It's "original sin" to which there is no atonement that perpetuates identity politics and flames any racial divide that's out there.

My husband thinks the opposite. My husband was a high school dropout and got a job as a clerk on Wall Street. He was given the opportunity to go down on the trading floor and he eventually became a vice President. He is the first want to tell you that had he been black or a female he never would have been given the opportunity

I am not sure you read my post the way I intended it. While I am not completely on either side of the issue, I am more on the white people's side with this issue than not.

(And that is irrespective of whether I identify as "white" or "Jewish." My family are Jews from the areas of Lithuania and Poland, but we all look white, so I do not know whether I would be considered "white" and stuck in the possession of "white privilege" for the purpose of this exercise.)

I my prejudice workshops we list all the prejudices. Religion is one and race is another There is also gender, looks, sexual orientation, age, disabilities, nationality etc.

If you are pulled over in a black high crime area and parked, it is probably likely that you are there to buy drugs.

Chances are, it would be true in any high crime area. The police keep statistics* on this sort of thing, so they know where the drug deals are likely to go down.

* At least, in some cities. Phoenix, for all its other flaws, had a great system and you could easily look it up online even 20 years ago - and they kept them in different ways, including 1/4 mile2 grids (easily done as the city is built on graph paper).

I am not sure you read my post the way I intended it. While I am not completely on either side of the issue, I am more on the white people's side with this issue than not.

(And that is irrespective of whether I identify as "white" or "Jewish." My family are Jews from the areas of Lithuania and Poland, but we all look white, so I do not know whether I would be considered "white" and stuck in the possession of "white privilege" for the purpose of this exercise.)

I knew what you meant, kind of. I've known you long enough I think to recognize when you're being sarcastic. Usually, anyway. I chose to respond the way I did on purpose. I find it fascinating that you say that an us vs. them mentality started this, but then turn right around and say that if there's sides being drawn up, you're picking the "us" over the "them". Just what exactly is the "white side" in this debate, anyway?

Let's try another tack.

Do you accept the existence of hidden power structures and unconscious biases in American culture that tend to favor Xtianity over other religions? Would it be fair to say that Xtians enjoy certain benefits and privileges that adherents of other religions don't? Things that go generally unnoticed by Xtians, that they may even be totally unaware of?

My husband thinks the opposite. My husband was a high school dropout and got a job as a clerk on Wall Street. He was given the opportunity to go down on the trading floor and he eventually became a vice President. He is the first want to tell you that had he been black or a female he never would have been given the opportunity